Bones
by AriBridge
Summary: Sequel to Teeth, though not necessary to read it I suppose. Character study of Elphaba through the Shiz era, based around her bones. Whole host of recognizable characters, only one original, continued from Teeth.
1. Fragile

**_A/N: And here is the long anticipated sequel to Teeth –drumroll- Bones! I'm not actually particularly happy or inspired with this at the moment, I'm sorry to say. But I will try and update with about the same regularity as Teeth._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the book or the musical. I do own my obsession with them._**

**Bones 1: Fragile**

With her head down and her hood up, Elphaba Thropp managed to be entirely unremarkable. The green girl knew that would all change the instant she took the travelling cloak off. Made out of coarse black material, it was nothing special. But Nanny had given it to her in a rare moment of kindness the old woman herself probably didn't entirely comprehend. Aside from concealing her unusually tainted skin, the young woman seemed to disappear into its folds entirely. At least that's what it felt like to Elphaba who could barely stay on her feet for being jostled. Slight as she was, her thin frame was not to be confused with weakness. Fine though her bones may've been, she was undeniably strong.

Finally the headmistress of Crage Hall, Madame Morrible, appeared. Here goes nothing, Elphaba though and slid the hood off her head. The reaction was instantaneous. All the other girls jumped away from her in much the same way as her father jumped away from someone who mentioned the pleasure faith. Elphaba rolled her eyes and bared her teeth for good measure. After a moment she relented with a sigh. She removed her cloak completely and draped it over one arm. Strangely, the other girls' fear seemed to dissipate somewhat upon their realizing how skinny she was. Even the primped and pampered little socialites though they could handle the anomaly who had suddenly appeared in their ranks.

"No, I am no sea-sick. No, I did not eat grass as a child. Yes, I was born this way. Any questions?"

There was an awkward silence after the green girl delivered her tirade. The other girls shuffled off into room pairs, carefully avoiding Elphaba who drifted to the darkest corner at the back of the room where she was promptly forgotten. Out of the immediate scrutiny of the rest of the cohort, she finally released the breath she had been holding. Her position at that moment was fragile. She was not openly welcomed, but neither was she under direct attack. That could change at any moment.

"Ladies!" Madame Morrible had taken centre stage. "Welcome to Crage Hall. Whether you are here to study law, logic or linguification I, and the other professors, have the greatest faith that…some… of you shall succeed. Sign-ups for my sorcery seminar will be available based on the individual results of students judged at the end of this semester. Quickly, off to your rooms to settle in."

With that, the illustrious Madame Morrible swept from the room in a gust of wind that Elphaba questioned the naturalness off. At about the same time, something else swept in that was decidedly artificial. This was enhanced by the fact that most of the upper class girls had left, leaving only Elphaba and a few Munchkins.

The blonde was so petite that for a moment, Elphaba though she might be a Mucnhkin. An over grown Munchkin, admittedly, but still a Munchkin. This notion was soon dispelled by the air of superiority emanating from the girl. It was a distinctly Gilikinese trait. The petite young woman looked around, flicking her blonde curls, as all the other girls filtered out. She crossed milky arms and tapped a slender foot. It was the only indication of her fear. Her upper-class face gave away nothing. Though significantly shorter than the still unseen Elphaba, the Gilikin had soft, feminie curves and no jutting bones. Even so, the blonde looked equally as fragile, and probably was, reasoned the taller girl.

"Two girls left!" Announced Madamde Morrible, who returned to the room as Elphaba slowly emerged from her hiding spot. "No Ama's, I'm sure there'll be a group room for you somewhere."

"Oh no! Madame Morrible, I am Galinda Uppland… of the Upper Uplands. That simply won't do!"

"Why ever not?" Galinda stepped closer to the headmistress, who looked as if she were about to recoil, and began to explain something in earnest. If nothing else, the silent girl mused, the blonde had a talent for theatrics.

"Well, in that case," Morrible stated a moment later, "you and Miss Thropp, granddaughter of the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland, can share a room. Your Ama, when she recovers can surely manage two distinguished girls such as yourselves?"

Aforementioned Thropp did not miss the headmistress' cruel smile before she left in another suspicious wind. Galinda, who had perked at the mention of a title, turned to face her new roommate. Years of society training was the only thing that stopped the blonde, who was wondering if she'd caught some insanity of a lower class girl, from screaming. The atrocity merely blinked her large, brown eyes.

By the time the girls walked to their rooms, amid whispers of Galinda's goodness and status as a martyr, the loathing between them was palpable. They stood by their respective beds, staring at each other. Elphaba's head was reeling with all the things she couldn't stand about the other girl. In an effort to calm her mind, she began to list them; blonde, her voice, every little trait however small.

Galinda thought her roommate exceedingly peculiar and registered her pulse as rushing with how much she hated the other girl. She too began to list the offending qualities; her face, her clothing, in reality, she loathed it all.

Both girls shuddered with exhilaration at their flesh crawling. Elphaba, the more aware of the two, realized the silence was a fragile ceasefire.


	2. Similarity

**_A/N: I'm a terrible writer for not updating. I know where I want to go, I was just struggling with the getting there. But hey, you had Road of Good Intentions. I'm still not happy with this though._**

**_Thank you to LillyFae, Doglover465, J and Elphieispopular. Sorry it took so long._**

**Bones 2: Similarity**

History had just finished and Doctor Dilamond's class was leaving quickly. No one really like the class, except Elphaba, so they usually left quickly. The green girl found the old Goat fascinating. Particularly his horns. There was something uniquely beautiful about them. But alas, it was time for her to leave with the rest of the class. As per usual she was slower than her cohort, which the Goat himself noticed. Finally the young woman was at the doors to leave the building. It was raining. Hard. Elphaba paused for a moment, indecisive, before returning to the lecture hall.

The Doctor had already left. There was, however, a door just behind the podium that was slightly ajar. It was painted to match the wall perfectly so Elphaba had never seen it before. She approached the door and slipped in silently, her curiosity having got the better of her. A large lab with a messy study greeted the young woman, whose eyes lit up. There was a diary open on a nearby desk and, forgetting herself, she stepped forward and began to read.

"I thought I'd find you here." Elphaba jumped 10ft at the sound of Dr Dilamond.

"Doctor, I…"

"Don't worry. I was hoping one of these rainy days you'd come in. Now, don't look at me like that. You never leave straight away when it's raining. Come on, I'll show you what I've been trying to do."

Almost an hour later a very dazed Elphaba was still staring at the Goat's horns while sipping a cup of tea. The Doctor was trying to find a link between humans and Animals that would allow Animals equal rights. He'd offered the doe-eyed girl the chance to assist him with his research. There was something niggling at the back of her mind and she struggled to turn it into a coherent thought.

"Your horns!" She exclaimed, jumping up so fast she nearly spilled her tea. "Excuse me Doctor Dilamond, may I touch your horns?"

"What an odd request, Miss Thropp." He stated, but leaned his head forward.

The horns had a grove in them that spiralled lazily from the point to the base. Aside from that, they were smooth and strong. Elphaba touched his hooves, which felt the same. Taking a step back she surveyed the goat from all angles, a smile spreading across her face.

"Miss Thropp, if you are quite done examining me like a piece of art."

"Well, just like the art, it's in the composition." Elphaba responds, earning her a critical look. "It's the way it stands next to other pieces and what it is made from."

"So it's true, you are perpetually and infuriatingly cryptic."

"Well, look at me then and see if you get it."

"I hardly think it appropriate for me to consider a female student in depth."

"We are both upright on two legs, as determined by our skeletal structure. And your horns and hooves feel as if they are made out of bone."

"Miss Thropp, you are quite correct. And quite incorrect in your next assumption."

"Now who's being infuriatingly cryptic?"

"My horns and hooves are exactly like your bones, and my posture like yours. It is an undeniable link. Yet, it is not accepted because I look different externally."

"So do I!" Elphaba was quite put out by the entire situation.

"And are you accepted?"

The green-girl fell silent at the old Goat's truths. It was an unpleasant reality to face, but she realized she'd seen it already. The Vinkuns and even the Quadlings with their slightly darker skin were considered inferior to the Munckins. And the short Munchkins were not regarded as highly as the Gilikinese. Discrimination was inherent in their society.

"Doctor Dilamond, doesn't that make your work pointless? Oz is never going to accept any link you find."

"Are you bones pointless, Miss Thropp? Do they stop working for you, simply because others won't believe they work just as perfectly as their own?"

Elphaba shook her head and once again fell silent. What the Goat was doing was the same as any of her crusades. They would never come to fruition because of who she was, how many she was. But that didn't mean she abandoned those she had decided to help. It was a matter of principles and moral convictions. She began, for the first time, to understand the work her father pursued almost blindly. Frex had seen people oppressed and, where Elphaba and Doctor Dilamond attributed it to bigoted politics, he had believed the cause to be a lack of faith. So the man had set about trying to give the people back their God in a desperate attempt to help them. He had to have known his words fell mostly on deaf ears. People who turned back to the pleasure faith and the time-dragon clock the moment he was out of their sight. But still he had pursued his mission because, while he was there in front of them, he had saved them. She recalled how, when her father had made her sing, more people seemed to be attracted to his ministry. His voice had risen up on hers and reached more people.

Perhaps the same could be achieved with both her mission and the Goat's. They were essentially working towards the same goal: better treatment for the Animals, particularly on the political front. Proving the link might not do anything permanently, but while it was right there in front of someone's eyes they could not deny it. That person, for that moment would respect an Animal. If Elphaba added her voice to the Doctor's work, more people would stop and listen. Or vice versa. If she could add the facts of his work to what she was saying, more people might be swayed. It was never going to be much and it was never going to be permanent, but it was something. Her bones and his, essentially the same.

"I'd be honoured to help you Doctor, Dilamond."


	3. Puppets

**_A/N: Two updates in one day is an apology for not updating for quite some time and the month before that. This is quite light-hearted but provides a bit of a continuation from the last one. 3 more regular characters to appear. My sincerest thanks to LillyFae whose talent and kindness defies description._**

**Bones 3: Puppets**

It was a fairly pleasant day, Elphaba realized, despite being subjected to the most awful class imaginable immediately prior. As respectable young ladies of Crage Hall, all residents were required to participate in etiquette classes. It was the only class the green-girl was concerned about failing and thought her roommate might do exceedingly well in. One thing the class taught was that young ladies should ignore the advances of questionable young men. Right now, Elphaba was doing just that. The two young men, by the names of Crope and Tibbet, we talking rather loudly in an effort to get her to rise to the bait. They wanted something, and the young woman had no interest in finding out what exactly that was. She did have a sudden interest in hitting them when one each grabbed her wrists and spun her around before draping an arm over her shoulder and around her waist. She did smirk slightly when the boys seemed to take the slightness of her figure as meaning she could be easily manipulated

"Miss Elphaba Thropp…"

"The Thropp Third Descending…"

"Resident braniac of Shiz University…"

"And roommate of Miss Galinda Upland…"

"Of the Arduenna Uplands…"

"Ditsiest girl of Shiz University…"

"And love interest of our friend Boq."

For Lurline's sake, the harassed green girl exclaimed mentally. Boq, her childhood friend, had apparently become infatuated with the single most out of his league girl at the University. To further prove his limited Munchkin brain, had enlisted the help of these two who were notoriously cheeky and blasé to the point of actually endangering themselves and everyone else around them. And now Boq had inflicted them upon her and Elphaba had no doubts she could deal with water better than she could deal with these two.

"And?" She responded curtly, yanking herself from the two boys.

"We think you could help us." Tibbet said with his most winning smile.

"I'm not sure what's more shocking," Elphaba said wryly, "you asking the green-girl for help, or that you're finally admitting you need some."

"Very funny, m'lady." Crope responded, earning himself a glare that could only be described as poisonous. The two didn't balk and maintained their smiles in her direction. After a few minutes of impasse, she sighed heavily and turned her head away. She maintained eye contact mainly with one eye under a very raised eye brow.

"Let me get this straight, you want me to talk to Miss Upland to see if she might see Mr Boq."

"Pretty much." The boys responded, and the young woman straightened up.

"You expect me, the atrocious gherkin, to have enough rapport with the esteemed Miss Upland to convince her to see a boy about 5 or 6 stations below her."

"Pretty much."

"Where might I find Boq, to talk to him about all this?"

"You'll do it?" The boys sounded decidedly shocked she was actually planning on doing it.

"On one condition, you help me with something." She put her hands on her hips, making her sharp elbows stick out. Suddenly she seemed less the wooden puppet, more the master.

"What might that be?" Tibbet looked as if he thought she might be planning to use them in some sort of Kumbrican ritual.

"I am helping Doctor Dilamond with his research, unfortunately the Crage Hall Library is rather limited. The boys have access to a far larger selection of books."

"You want us to actually go in a library!" Crope looked mortified, until Tibbet hit him.

"Anything for you, most gracious lady." Tibbet said, bowing theatrically and causing Elphaba to roll her eyes.

"Be gone with you, pests, before I infect you with my green-ness!" The boys virtually tumbled over themselves as they gambolled away from her. Elphaba couldn't help the smile that graced her lips and the little giggle as she continued on her way back to the dormitories. She was actually considering how to help the poor misguided boys when she let out a curse. There, on a roof and desperately trying to peer into the room she shared with Miss Upland, was the lovesick fool Boq. She cursed soundly and the Munchkin dropped from the roof and landed in front of her looking sheepish. Here was one who, despite being thicker than her, could be easily manipulated with a few sharp jabs. She could twist her words to be as sharp as her fingers.

"Master Boq."

"Miss Elphaba."

"Interested in my roommate?" Elphaba leaned against a nearby tree and affected her voice as if she didn't already know her statement to be a fact.

"Indeed, Miss, though she doesn't seem to notice I exist."

"What a shame. If only there was someone who might put in a good word for you. Oh well, good evening Master Boq. Just don't let me catch you there while I'm in my room, it is a sight you may not wish to behold at any rate."

Elphaba began to stalk off, smirking as soon as she turned her back. The boy had blushed bright red at the image the young woman had provided. She had gotten 7 steps before the poor boy had caught on to the first half of what she had said.

"Miss Elphaba, wait!"

"What is it?"

"You could help me! You're Miss Upland's roommate and you know me well enough to put in a good word for me."

"Hmmm…" Elphaba appeared to consider it deeply. "Well, it will be difficult, what with her station and everything. I couldn't promise anything."

"But you have a title too. Oh please, Miss Elphaba, I'll be forever in your debt."

"Well, I might do it. But I'm doing some research at the moment, which is taking up a lot of my time, and not really going anywhere. I don't have access to the books I need."

"Oh, I could help you with that. If it would give you enough time to talk to Miss Upland for me. It would be no problem. Just tell me what you need."

"Well alright then." Elphaba handed the boy a list and flounced off to up hold her end of the bargain. Perhaps it was mean of her. She knew Boq had no chance. Really she was getting all the benefit of help with her research for Doctor Dilamond, and the boys were not likely to get anything. Well, Crope and Tibbet might get Boq's wailings when the inevitable rejection occurred. Elphaba shrugged. If nothing else, the situation was going to be amusing for her to watch as it unfolded. She might look the wooden puppet, but her bones were stronger than that.


	4. Resonate

**_A/N: I'm sorry for the lateness. I have been crazy busy preparing for university. I sincerely hope for the sake of my future students I am better organized in classes than I am with this. I apologize specifically to LilyFae, Elphieispopular, Doglover645 (I got it right this time) and UndefeatedAura for waiting so long. _**

**Bones 4: Resonance**

Galinda tapped her heeled toe on the pavement revealing her impatience. Elphaba tapped her knuckles on the brick arch she was leaning again. The sound was the same, a fact the green girl noticed with some amusement. Her bones had the same resonance as a heel no doubt studded with Glikkun emeralds. At least the colour on their respective cases were the same.

After a week of putting the three boys to work in the library and finally overcoming her own dead end in the research she was doing for Doctor Dilamond, Elphaba was finally upholding her end of the bargain. Hence why the two young women were out in the cold and the dark, well past the respectable hour, without a chaperone.

"Why did I agree to this again?" Galinda squeaked, becoming more irritated by the clock-tick. Rather than reverberating around the space, as the taps had, her voice was sharp enough to

"Because you want to pass this year and not bring shame on your family. The reason being, I can only guess, is that somewhere in that pretty little air-head of yours is something vaguely resembling a brain." Elphaba's voice was low and, usually regarded as scratchy. In the night it resounded the same way her tapping did. At least that was the way it sounded to Galinda who was staring at the green-girl as if for the first time. She hadn't realized her roommate held such capacity for insight and yet here she stood with words to resonate through her blonde curls for many nights forward.

If they didn't get caught and booted out of Shiz so fast their heads spun. Elphaba was safer, she knew, standing in the shadows as she was. Without the moon bouncing off nearly fluorescent blonde curls. It was Boq who was in the most danger however. He was virtually skipping towards the two girls, a ridiculous bouquet of flowers in his hands. The green-girl smirked, the blonde looked distinctly mortified.

"Good evening Miss Galinda." Elphaba coughed. "Miss Elphaba."

"Master Boq of Munchkinland." Elphaba introduced the love birds.

"Charmed." Responded Galinda, who sounded distinctly not.

"I'm glad you agreed to meet me… Galinda." Boq said shyly and handed her the flowers.

"I'm afraid I have been led here under false pretenses, _Master _Boq. I'm sorry, you and I have been tricked. Good night." The furious blonde stormed off, shoving the flowers at Elphaba.

The green-girl was leaning against the wall quite hard. So amusing had she found the situation that she could barely stand up straight. Her cackles resonated through her bones, through the many layers and into the mind of Galinda then finally through the layer of skin, turning to tin at rejection, on Boq. She had no knowledge of her own lasting impact of course, could have no idea that her words would last longer than dying bones in the ground. Not these words, but the ones that would come later. The ones waiting in her marrow for the future she had seen in the looking glass.

"That was a cruel thing to do Miss Elphaba." Boq chastised her. She whirled on him.

"Life is cruel, Master Boq. Be thankful I am giving you an introduction to what is wicked in the world," she moves into his face, "all of it!"

Galinda was all but screaming at Elphaba in the safety of their room. Loud words, viciously flung at her roommate. Reputation, families, society. Screamed with passion. Empty. Words sewn together from the fabric of dresses rather than knit together in the cells that when wound together comprise bones. Syllables that bounced around the room, through a green head. Right out the window. Leaving no impression in the stones. Certainly not the emerald statue in the centre.

Elphaba had no words in response. She had said all that was required to complete the scene. So had the other girl. They both knew it and yet Galinda would not be quiet. It was borne of desperation. Something within her that had not connected. Like joints with torn muscles that would not function as they needed. Made worse by the green figure so tightly wound together, her bones governed precisely by her mind. Able to create forms and figures to resonate. The perfect pitch to resonate within those around her rather than just bouncing off and into nothingness.

Finally they both stopped and simply stared at one another, tension radiated between them. Galinda tapped her heeled foot on the wood floor. Elphaba tapped a bony finger on the wooden cupboard she leaned against. It was a different sound this time. One shallow, meaningless, temporary. One that would resonate into history.

**_A/N: It's short and not brilliant, I apologize, but it is something at the very least._**


	5. Impact Fracture

**_A/N: My thanks to LillyFae and Elphieispopular for your review on the last chapter. Also thanks to those that read 'The Words are Gone', I wasn't expecting any response to that and you were incredibly kind._**

**_There is now also a general disclaimer on my profile._**

**Bones 5: Impact Fracture**

Impact fracture: A fracture caused when bone are driven into each other. When Elphaba learned the definition in her class that morning, she didn't realize the amount of relevance it was going to have. Nor did she think to apply it outside of one bone hitting another. The collision could be on a much bigger scale. 206 bones could impact another 206 bones and cause massive impact fractures. By the end of the day she learned that the finer bone, the smaller bone, the weaker bone usually lost to the stronger bone, the bigger bone, the bone backed up by muscle. If a bone was impacted enough times it could shatter.

Avaric Tenmeadows was trouble in human form. Big bones as all Gilikin males were. Muscle all over his body, except inside his skull. And a brutish temper to make up for his lack of brain power. He also had an intense dislike of the green girl on campus. A dislike manifested when each day he would go out of his way to cause trouble for her. Today was no exception

With that pattern of behaviour he'd quickly learned he was physically a lot bigger and stronger than her. He also apparently had no compunctions about demonstrating this to her. On a daily basis.

She'd seen him the moment she'd left class. He always seemed to be waiting with the same group of arrogant Glikkuns who apparently enjoyed seeing her in pain. There wasn't much she could do. Automatically she clutched her books tighter to her chest, not that they did much. The corners of the books hurt her, pressing through her skin to her bones just below the surface, but the response was so ingrained she couldn't stop herself. Avaric was laughing with his mates. They were planning what they would do to her this time, no doubt.

Ignoring them as best she could she followed her usual route, that meant heading towards the bridge over Suicide Canal. Avaric and his thugs followed her at a distance. All of them were significantly faster than her, Avaric himself had longer legs. Staying behind her was a deliberate choice. The moment she stepped foot on the bridge they began to catch up. By the time she got to the middle they were around her.

Impact.

They jostled her roughly, nearly knocking her to the ground only to strike her the other way to keep her standing. Outnumbered and significantly smaller, there was little she could do. Eventually Avaric grabbed her arms from behind her, effectively stilling her as she'd dropped her books. She'd lost this round.

He rough-housed her towards the barrier on the bridge. Sensing potentially fatal danger, Elphaba dug her heels in. To no avail. He pushed her most of the way over. It was up to his strength and whim whether or not she lived now. The green girl prayed she was enough fun as a victim that he wouldn't just toss her into the water.

"I could do it you know." He breathed into her ear, pressing himself flush against her. "I'd watch your back if I were you." Elphaba whimpered and he simply chuckled. Suddenly she was pulled back and thrown on the ground. Despite the dust that was kicked in her face as they walked away, she was simply relieved to be alive. She curled up on the ground, fighting back tears that would only hurt her more.

Fracture.

Eventually, the shaken girl was able to resume her walk back to her dorms. She needed some time to herself after the encounter with Avaric. Galinda would likely be out, meaning she could have some time to herself to process what had happened. And try and come up with a way to deal with the threat the bully now posed. No one would help her, she knew. The Tenmeadows' were a rich Gilikinese family. Likely their money had helped fund Crage Hall, which excluded going to a professor. Additionally, half the girls were trying to become romantically attached to him. Not that she spoke to them anyway. Boq, Crope and Tibbet were just as afraid of him as she was, rendering them useless. She'd have to deal with it alone. Like so many other things.

Deep in her reverie, Elphaba didn't notice the young man running. He was going too fast and not concentrating enough to see her either. At least not until he tripped over her and she fell to the ground.

Impact.

He was a new student, she saw once they were both standing upright. No apology passed his lips, he was too busy staring at her. And trying not to vomit, she guessed. Despite the anger clear on his face, he didn't say anything. The green girl was distinctly thankful for that small mercy. After being knocked to the ground twice in one morning, she doubted she could take the verbal abuse from another male on campus. Instead she simply stood there quietly, though she too was annoyed at his apparent lack of care by running into her.

Looking down didn't last long. Once the initial shock wore off, she looked up again. Just in time to see the strange blue diamonds on his face, before he took off running again. Elphaba stood transfixed by an image that was no longer in front of her eyes. The markings were beautiful. She doubted she would forget them. Or their owner.

Fracture.

Elphaba realized with a new student at Shiz, particularly an interesting male, all the girls would be in their rooms gossiping. Loud noise that meant nothing to the green girl other than a head-ache inducing distraction. Following this reasoning, she abandoned her trek there and headed for a shady tree she could see some distance away where she could relax in peace. Once at the tree she sat down cross-legged, her back leaning against the tree, withdrew one of many books from her bag and, began to read earnestly in an attempt to lose herself in a world other than Oz.

An undetermined amount of time later, the young woman finally looked up, though still deep in thought. No longer worried about the events of the day, she was contemplating what she had just read. Staring blankly into space was part of her doing that. Unbeknownst to her, the deep level of concentration was having an external effect. Precisely where she was staring, the grass was shuddering and the leaves were being lifted off the ground.

"I knew you had a talent for sorcery."

Impact.

"Kalka?" She questioned. Though she doubted there was any other Ape likely to be wandering around Shiz with any knowledge of her whatsoever.

"How have you been my dear?" He replied tipping his hat. "Practicing sorcery?"

"Fine, thank you. And thank you for endorsing my placement here. No I have not been practicing sorcery. I have no aptitude for it."

"Of course I would support the education of a Witch. You have skill already, even without fostering it. I would recommend nurturing it, Miss Thropp. One day it will save your life. And maybe the life of someone you love."

"Witch? All due respect, you have the wrong girl. I'm no sorcerer. My roommate fancies herself one."

"Fancies being the key word. I would accept it now, for there will come a day when it will be forced upon you. Lives will depend on it Miss Thropp, your own included. You are greater than what you seem, but if you reject your power you will end up a pawn for evil. And I do not truly believe you to be Wicked."

With that Kalka turned and left. His words burned through Elphaba's ears and into her mind. She felt something shift, a new weight land on her narrow shoulders, her thin bones. The unbearable weight of an unwanted prophecy.

Fracture.

No rest for the wicked. The old adage played on repeat in Elphaba's mind as she made her way back into the dormitories. Evidently at least one of her humiliations had been made known to the girls of Crage Hall. She did her best to ignore them. Unfortunately she could not do the same for Madame Morrible who was standing in the hallway arms crossed, a displeased expression on her face. When her eyes alighted on Elphaba, the displeasure intensified into palpable dislike. She stormed over to the green girl, evidently angry.

Impact.

"Miss Thropp, is that anyway to treat your uniform? Filty, covered in mudd and dirt. You look as if you have been crawling around with Animals. Utterly disrespectful. Indication of your low breeding. Perhaps your mother had a title, but by all accounts she had a different one among the men folk. Disgraceful. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

The headmistress made to stalk off, among the snickers of the girls. Four steps away, the big-boned woman turned back to the slight Elphaba. A cruel smile played on Morrible's features, a fearful one on the green girl's.

"I'd tell you to go and clean up, but I don't think it would do much good."

Fracture.

Even the sanctuary of her own room afforded her no safety. When she walked in Galinda was waiting, with her hands behind her back. The blonde looked suspiciously as if she had been waiting for her roommate to return. Despite the lack of expression on the upper class face, Elphaba knew something was up.

"Here, this is for you."

Impact.

Elphaba took the hat with some trepidation, wondering if it was somehow rigged to suddenly spurt water everywhere. When nothing happened she examined the hat a little more closely. It was black with a crooked point and a wide brim. The green girl knew enough about Galinda and had overheard enough conversations to know the gift was intended as an insult. Despite what the socialite was saying, the hat would have been the bane of the blonde's wardrobe. So she had passed it on to Elphaba so she and her friends could mock the unpopular girl even more.

Problem was, Elphaba actually loved the hat. More than that, it was the first gift anyone had ever gotten her. She knew Galinda had meant badly with it, but it was still a gift. Something new that was all her own. From someone in the world she could honestly say she despised.

Fracture.

Elphaba was in foetal position on her bed. Everything hurt. A worse pain even than when she was burned by water. This was deeper, it went right to her very bones. They felt shattered and suddenly she remembered her class that morning. Apparently she had the finer bones. Weakness compared with the others. She didn't want to think about that, she was too tired and in too much pain. She curled in even tighter on herself, nursing her wounds.

Impact fractures.

**_A/N: Phew 1800 words, longest chapter yet. In anything. Poor Elphaba, I promise to be nicer to her… eventually. Then again, I have I'm the Witch for being nice to her. Maybe I might be a little more sadistic to her mwahahaha. I'll stop now. This is what happens on all nighters… -dies-_**


	6. Slow Repair

**_A/N: My thanks to LillyFae, Elphieispopular and UndefeatedAura for your reviews. Welcome to my new reviewer bwayfan25! Thank you for reviewing_**

**Bones 6: Slow repair**

When a bone breaks there's very little medical professionals can do for the victim. They need to immobilize it and wait for it to heal. Generally it takes about 6 weeks for a fracture to heal. If there are multiple breaks, the process can take longer. Injuries that are exacerbated through continued pressure or another impact often never seem to heal properly. Eventually though some point of repair has to be reached. Some symptom relief can be found. Occasionally that can be hard to get for someone on their own. But that doesn't mean someone else can't provide the pain killer.

Attentiveness and compassion were not words often associated with Galinda. For someone so often described as good, she didn't have many of the relevant qualities. A fact that had been highlighted to her over the last two days. First she had given that abominable hat to, who she had thought to be her abominable roommate, Elphaba and seen that the green woman had actually liked the hat and seemed grateful for it. The point was reiterated when the green girl had bravely attended a party the rest of the cohort had thrown to celebrate the arrival of Fiyero. Pfanee and Shen-Shen had cruelly invited the girl upon hearing of Galinda's gift so they could mock her. Despite knowing the joke was on her, Elphaba had stayed a few hours.

Now the toll it had taken on the green girl was evident. Sharp angles from her spine protruding through taught emerald skin faced her. A slight quiver racked the thin body. Galinda refused to believe her stoic, sarcastic, strong roommate could cry. That pretty much left pain. It was a fair enough assumption, the blonde had heard what Avaric had done to her and the literal run in with Fiyero. No wonder she was shaking. And Galinda had only made it worse.

"Miss Elphaba?" The blonde cautiously approached the plain bed of her roommate. Immediately the quivering stopped. Replaced by a tense lack of motion that was almost worse. Galinda wasn't quite sure what to do. Usually she was the one being approached, she didn't know how to connect with someone else. She suspected the green girl was feigning sleep in an effort to dissuade her. It was the chance to leave it. She could turn away now, go to her own bed and wake up in the morning as if nothing had happened.

But she couldn't let that happen. Not now with the evidence of pain right in front of her. Even the way she could see the bones seemed somehow wrong. As if the way they strained against the skin would hurt Elphaba. Pressure that could worsen any fractures already present. She tried again.

"Miss Elphaba, I know you're awake." Still no reaction. Galinda began to get flustered. "Are you okay? Well of course you're not okay. Everyone is being horrendible to you. Has been. For a while. So of course you're not okay. Is there something I can do? Probably not. But maybe. I am sorry you got hurt. Not that it will mean much to you, because I have been awful too. But I hope you know I mean it. I really do."

The blonde was extremely thankful when the other girl sat up. Rapid talking and self-editing had left her out of breath. Hopefully her words had been enough. Elphaba was regarding her quizzically, but without much hope of finding honesty in the socialite. As a result, the green girl was surprised to find the other girl was being genuine.

"I know." She said eventually. Galinda squealed with relief and happiness. Elphaba couldn't help the small smile that curved her lips. "Thank you for the hat."

"It does look really good on you, Miss Elphaba." Galinda frowned, "Elphie sounds better. Is it alright if I call you Elphie?"

"Well it is a little perky…" Elphaba sounded sceptical and couldn't help but wonder how much the bouncy blonde had consumed at the party. Galinda just giggled.

"Friends should have nicknames."

"So what do I call you?"

"You can call me… Galinda." Elphaba couldn't stop the eye roll. "Oh it's going to be so brilliant now that we're friends."

With that the blonde gasped so loudly she nearly fell over. She skipped a few steps and did a little twirl. Eyes wide open with a vibrant twinkling blue stared hard at Elphaba, who was suddenly feeling decidedly nervous. Drunk Galinda was no longer the cute little thing to be tutted on the head this idea was likely to be dangerous if it had the pink-obsessed sparkly-dressed girl so excited. The plain-clothed recluse wondered if she could make some sort of retreat.

"Now that you're my friend, I'm gonna make you…" Galinda actually made her own drumroll with her feet "popular!"

The green girl didn't have enough time to form a polite decline of her offer, let alone an escape, before perfectly manicured hands had removed her beanie and were undoing her plait. Pink acrylic nails scraped through her long, midnight hair untangling it and then draping it around her shoulders. Years had passed since Elphaba had last had her hair out and she had almost forgotten the way it felt as it hung down her back, just brushing her hips. Gentle curls that generally appeared straight in the distance were something she had long since seen in the corner of her eye. She enjoyed having it back. For her part, Galinda was awestruck. She'd never imagined Elphie having such beautiful hair. It was thick and smooth, at the height of health. Probably the only hair she would ever be jealous of, the blonde thought, knowing her own curls and impeccable style were artificial and took hours of styling.

Much to Elphaba's dismay, Galinda wasn't finished with her yet. Apparently there was things called blush, lipstick, mascara and eyeliner she simply _had _to try. Thankfully Galinda abandoned the blush, realizing the bright pink wouldn't look overly natural on emerald cheeks. Instead she found a dark green eye-shadow in the bottom of her drawer and applied that to Elphaba's sculpted cheek bones. The lipstick was a dusky colour somewhere between brown and purple that strangely matched the red-green of Elphaba's lips. When Galinda started to put strange wand shaped things near Elphaba's eyes, the trouble began. Totally resistant to anything going near her sensitive eyes, the blonde threatened to tell the whole of Crage Hall the prickly green girl slept with an emerald bottle under her pillow.

"Don't you dare!" Elphaba shrieked in response after hearing the threat.

"If you don't sit still, I will tell all the girls about your secret potion. What is it anyway?"

"Nothing, it was just my mother's."

"Oh come on, tell me something interesting. We're friends now. If it'll make you feel better, I'll start. Fiyero and I are going to be married!"

"He's already asked you?" Elphaba said, now sitting still while Galinda put the black stuff on her eyes

"No, he doesn't know yet. Come on, your turn." Elphaba remained silent, much to Galinda's irritation. "I will poke you in the eye Elphie. Tell me something."

"My father hates me." Galinda started to react, but she was soon shushed. "He hates me because it's my fault my sister is disabled."

Galinda simply nodded. It was one of the few things known about Elphaba, her sister couldn't walk. Madame Morrible had discussed it with Elphaba in anticipation of Nessa attending Shiz the next year. Galinda, being the roommate, had overheard. She stayed quiet as Elphaba explained how her father had been agonizingly worried Nessa too, would be green and had sent Elphaba's Nanny to find a preventative. Nanny had returned with medicines from an old crone named Yackle. They should have worked. But in the interim, Frex had made his wife chew poisonous milk-flowers and so, the damage was done. Nessa was born disabled. Their mother, had barely survived.

"If only I hadn't been green…" Suddenly milky arms wrapped around her narrow shoulders, effectively cutting her off.

"Oh Elphie, it's not your fault. It's the poisons fault." Strangely, Elphaba actually felt comforted by the words of her new friend and she smiled. Galinda smiled back and bounced back up to a standing position. She walked over to her side of the room and grabbed something off a shelf that looked decidedly pink. After fixing what turned out to be a rose in the long brunette hair, she stood back in wonder.

"Pink goes good with green! Oh Elphie, you look beautiful!"

Despite the mirror Galinda was holding up, Elphaba was simply staring at her friend. Somehow, she felt better. The pain of a thousand fractures seemed to have begun the slow repair. Now it was a dull ache. A small reminder of what she had to be thankful for. There was still a tension in her head though. Even so she offered a genuine smile to her good friend. It was all the invitation the blonde needed. She all but jumped on her roommate and they fell back onto the bed giggling. All pain forgotten as she too wrapped her arms around the petite young woman.

Finally the pressure had been released. No more harmful impacts. Slowly her bones would begin to knit together. Slowly they would repair. But instead of taking 6 weeks, it had taken 6 hours. And someone to deliver the pain-killer.

**_A/N: So much cuteness! See I am capable of being nice to Elphaba! No guarantees on how long it will last though. Shameless stealing from the musical, sorry. But not really. Disclaimer can be found on my profile._**


	7. Clicking and Ticking

**_A/N: Thank you to LillyFae, Doglover645, Elphieispopular and UndefeatedAura for your reviews. Please forgive the messing around with timeline, it's somewhere between book and musical. I've also included a reference to one of my favourite songs. Virtual prizes to anyone who picks it up._**

**Bones 7: Clicking and ticking.**

A series of clicks emanated through the halls of Crage Hall as Elphaba and Galinda walked back to their room. One set was repetitive and shallow, they came from the emerald encrusted soles of Galinda's slippers. The current fashion was gems, emeralds or diamonds, in the soles of a woman's shoes. Deeper clicks that followed no set pattern came from Elphaba's back as she twisted it. The perky blonde shuddered.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that Elphie. It's gross." The green girl smirked and twisted the other way, eliciting further clicks and a huff from her friend.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop." Elphaba was still chuckling at how easy it was to rile the apparently sensitive socialite, but otherwise the walk was completed in companionable silence. Until they got to the door of their room. The clicking had started up again. Galinda whipped around so fast Elphaba stepped back.

"I thought I told you to quit doing that!" If it hadn't been for the fact the green girl could hear clicking, and knew she wasn't making it, she would have found the flushed face and total lack of composure in the composed upper-class girl, quite amusing. Nevertheless, the noise didn't cause enough unease to prevent a sharp retort.

"It's not me and, it's not a click. It's a tick. The resonance is different." The blonde looked like she was about to blow a fuse. Totally calm, Elphaba had identified the sound and so had no qualms about seeing how far she could push the situation for her own amusement.

"Now is hardly the time to argue noise-based semantics. There could be a psycho murderer making that sound to get us to stop so he can sneak up and kill us."

"Well we're doing what he wants. It was nice knowing you."

Prior to that exact moment, the green girl could honestly say she had never been so scared of someone a foot shorter than herself. However, Galinda now looked positively murderous. Never before had Elphaba realized quite how sharp those pink acrylic nails had the potential to be. Retreat now, she thought, and raised her hands in submission.  
>"Okay, calm down. I'm sorry. It's just Madame Morrible's tik-tok creature, Grommetik." She flicked a thumb to the strange little thing, which seemed to be regarding them intently. Galinda turned too and seemed to mostly settle down. Agitation was still evident across her shoulders, a fact Elphaba noted with some interest and, at least she wasn't the only one who didn't like the creepy machine. She pulled her roommate inside with a mumbled excuse about not being caught out of bed too late.<p>

Once inside, both girls released the breath neither realized they had been holding. The studious young woman put her books down and only now noticed that the blonde didn't have any. Galinda held only a make-up bag. Elphaba decided to ignore that fact. She was more concerned about the little tik-tok. It seemed to have been following them, though there was no reason for that to be the case. Which meant it had to be going outside; past the girls' room there was only a door outside. She went and peered out the window.

"You dears are late and should be in bed." Ama Clutch said having arrived on campus late, she seemed to be trying to make up for that by being over-protective of her charges. Elphaba ignored the old woman, while Galinda placated her. Idly, the green girl wondered how her roommate could complain of her bones clicking when the Ama sounded like a one-woman tap show.

There, Elphaba drew her attention back out the window. Grommetik was lurking out the front of Doctor Dillamond's office. No, she corrected herself, it was picking the lock and going in. Twenty minutes later the creature left again, some papers in its funny little hand. The tik-tok turned its head up to the window and Elphaba recoiled suddenly. She'd seen all she needed to anyway and returned to her bed deep in thought.

As she settled down to sleep she heard ticking come down the hallway and stop outside their room. A moment later it receded.

**_A/N: Getting fillers all over the shop, sorry about that. There's a couple more fillers for Bones, sorry._**


	8. Exteriors

**_A/N: Thank you to LillyFae, Doglover645 and ElphieIsPopularfor your reviews. Seems fairly universal that people like Galinda being teased and slightly flustered, I'll remember that for future chapters._**

**_ I think you'll like this one, even if it is a bit shorter. Get a bit more of a certain Vinkun prince. Please forgive the messing around with timeline, it's somewhere between book and musical._**

**Bones 8: Exteriors **

"That was a really interesting lecture." Galinda commented blithely, much to the astonishment of her roommate who wondered if she had somehow travelled to an alternate universe. She'd found the lecture bearable, but not overly interesting. Surely there was something terribly wrong with the world for the distractible blonde to have been enthused by a lecture while she had tuned out and resorted to rhyming various students' names with words she felt described them. Most of which were insulting.

"It was just properties of bones. Since when do you care about that?" Elphaba questioned when she had managed to regain her composure. Surprisingly the blonde seemed completely genuine in her interest.

"Since now. Who knew that bones were soft inside?" She paused for a moment. "Like you Elphie! You've got a hard exterior, but you're all nice and soft on the inside." Much to the green girl's mortification Galinda threw her creamy arms round her shoulders.

"Hardly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Boq, Crope and TIbbet to help Doctor Dillamond with his research and I'm sure you have people to go and discuss the latest hairstyles with."

"Harsh Elphie. Actually, you should come with me. Boq, Crope, Tibbet and I have been making friends with the new guy."

"I'm not sure where to start with that. Curiosity over the new person or the fact you are deigning to associate with a Munchkin."

"Don't be so sarcastic, it's unbecoming. Come on." Galinda grabbed Elphaba and dragged her off in the opposite direction to their rooms. "You'll be glad you came."

"I don't have much choice in the matter." The blonde responded by yanking Elphie's arm so hard the green girl stumbled and nearly fell. She didn't notice the emerald lips twist into a smile.

"Boys, meet Elphie." Galinda exclaimed, sitting on the ground and pulling the green girl down with her. Boq simply nodded at her, apparently unable to form a coherent sentence when his blonde love-interest had sat down next to him.

"The best dressed girl at Shiz…" Crope started, a mischievous grin on his face that Elphaba didn't trust at all. Galinda began to preen, until Tibbet finished the sentence.

"And her mediocre blonde friend." Aforementioned blonde slapped both boys on the shoulder. Before turning to the fourth boy. "Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, meet Miss Elphaba Thropp, the Third Thropp Descending."

Both of them blushed deeply and merely inclined their heads. Elphaba was fascinated by the Vinkun and, the blue diamonds tattooed down his face that disappeared down past his collar. Before she remembered he was the one who had knocked her over a few days prior and, was suddenly disinterested. Fiyero was intrigued by the girl before him, more than her skin, she carried herself differently to any of the other girls he'd met. He also remembered that she had seemed quite bright in the few classes they'd had together..

"Fiyero, please." He said, trying to ease the tension that suddenly emanated from the green girl.

"Miss Thropp, not that you cared when you ran me over a few days ago." She snapped in response, making the tension noticeable to the rest of the group. This time around the markings were not sufficient to placate her. The eyes might be though, so she avoided looking at them.

Fiyero was thinking something vaguely similar. Elphaba had beautiful eyes. A strange brown flecked with knowledge and ghosts that had him entirely transfixed. Until Galinda, who he had somehow ended up romantically linked to, squeezed his hand. She was hissing under her breath something about apologizing. Unfortunately, the green girl heard and her facial expression hardened even further. She stood jerkily, belying her tension.

"Don't bother, there's no point if it isn't genuine. It's offensive." Spinning quickly her ebony plait flicked around catching the sun in Fiyero's eyes. Although, he still couldn't get his mind off the fact that Elphaba had seemed more put out that he and Galinda were holding hands, than the lack of apology.

"Don't worry about her." Galinda said, trying to restore peace. "Like the bones in our life sciences lecture, she has a hard exterior, but she's nice and soft on the inside."


	9. Snap

**_A/N: Thank you LillyFae, UndefeatedAura, Doglover645 and ElphieIsPopular. There was a general sense that you thought Galinda was quite (too?) intelligent in the last one. I'll just defend my case in that Galinda maintains in the book and its implied in the musical, she believes Elphie to be a lot more pleasant than her sarcastic façade. Elphaba also stresses that Galinda is a lot more intelligent than people think. That's how I write her, even in RoGI. Anyway, on with the chapter, quite a lot happens in this one._**

**Bones 9: Snap**

Initially, the young green woman didn't know what had awoken her. There was nothing immediately apparent as being wrong. Galinda was sound asleep, snoring slightly, much to the other girl's amusement. There were no extra shadows indicating more people in the room than needed to be. Elphaba snapped her fingers in sudden realization, she was looking for the wrong thing. Something was missing. Namely, Ama Clutch, who usually slept in the anteroom with the door closed. The door was open and even in the dark, Elphaba could see her bed was empty.

Looking around, she confirmed the old woman was not in the room with them. Hastily she swung her legs off the bed. Emerald feet landed on the ground and carried the tall extension of that colour over to Galinda's bed. She shifted her weight before deciding the same noise that had provided inspirational thought, might snap the blonde girl awake, without providing any excess noise. Placing a hand over Galinda's mouth, she tried it. Sapphire eyes flew open in fear, but squinted into a glare upon recognizing what was happening. Elphaba put a finger to her lips but waited until the half-awake girl nodded before removing her hand.

"Why have you awoken me at this ungodly hour?" I need my beauty sleep, you know." The vain young woman hissed at her indifferent friend.

"Ama Clutch is gone." Elphaba responded, her murmuring voice barely a vibration in the air. Together, the girls wandered into the older woman's room, just to be sure. When they left the small room, Elphaba crossed to the window and stared out of it intently. Galinda leant against the door trying to listen for anyone coming down the corridor, Ama Clutch or otherwise.

Most of the lights in Dr Dillamond's office were on. Through the window Elphaba's keen brown eyes could make out two figures, apparently fighting and, a third one hidden and observing. One of the fighting figures clearly had horns, the other, smaller silhouette, seemed to have a wind-up device protruding from its back. Based on the angles the hidden figure would be able to watch the commotion without being seen. The smaller shadow found its way behind the larger one, they writhed for a moment. Suddenly the horned figure's back snapped straight; Elphaba could almost hear the bones snap and break, she winced. The front door to the Goat's office opened and the spy pulled back quickly and moved over to her friend. Before heading out the door, Elphaba grabbed one of her own black cloaks to throw over Galinda's vibrant, bejewelled night-gown. Gown was an apt word, the minimalist girl thought idly.

On either side of the corridor they crept silently. Surprisingly, Galinda apparently had the nous to remain in the shadows and peer around pillars before moving her body into the main corridor. These were skills ingrained in Elphaba naturally from when she was young and avoiding a beating. They only made it a few feet before they could hear a noise. Elphaba found herself caught on the outside of a pillar. Mentally she debated the wisdom of going to the wall and risking being caught by her movement, or to stay there and risk being caught like a deer in headlights. The noise was a ticking, probably Grommetik. That meant his vision wasn't great but he would hear movement, so she remained as a statue. She was pleased to note, Galinda was against the wall and also still. The blonde had a hand across her mouth to stifle the usually incessant noise that came out of it. As the tik-tok creature grew closer, the green girl's trepidation became proportionately higher. She was surprised it couldn't hear her heart practically pounding out of her chest.

After the creature passed the girls made eye-contact across the hall, despite barely being able to see each other. Some non-verbal agreement sets them both off at a run down the corridor. They don't get very far before they nearly collide with Ama Clutch, stumbling up the corridor.

"Ama!" Galinda shrieks seeing the traumatized expression on the aged woman's face. Elphaba grabs her friend, putting her hand over her mouth and pulling the blonde back into the shadows. The green girl new Grommetik was still in the hallway and, the last thing anybody needed was it going and alerting Morrible. Too late, she heard the thing speed up to go and get the headmistress. She grabbed Galinda's hand and sprinted back to their room. Throwing the blonde in to the pink bed, she scrambled into her own. Both feigned sleep while listening to Morrible's heels go up the corridor. Elphaba thought they sounded like a snap.

Sometime later, Morrible came into the girls' room and flicked on the light. Turned out the green-girls first impression of her roommate's theatrical tendencies were accurate. Even she believed the blonde had been asleep, though she knew otherwise. For her part, Elphaba sat straight up. Her bones snapped into place and she went to attention immediately; on her guard.

"Girl's, I'm afraid I have some news for you. Please find a night gown and come to my office." The woman swept from the room and the girls exchanged glances. Only then did Galinda look down at her hands. The blonde threw herself back down, face into the pillow. Her roommate stood quickly and went over to her. Standing above the blonde, she saw the blood. Emerald fingers stroked the dusky red, it had to have been from when Galinda had grabbed the Ama Clutch. While the woman had been disoriented, she didn't seem injured. With that she pulled Galinda up and stared at her in the eyes. The blonde was slightly terrified, Elphaba's eyes were strange enough normally. Now they were flashing, it was disconcerting.

"Galinda, Dr Dillamond is dead. Ama Clutch saw it happen and I know who killed him."

"Elphie you're talking nonsense." She paused, clearly curious. "Who and how?"

"Ama clutch wasn't injured and yet you had blood after touching her. While you were listening at the door, I was watching out the window. I saw into Dillamond's lab he was killed and she was hiding watching. I'll tell you when I know. Come on, best get to Morrible before we get in trouble. Don't say a word to her."

"Please, sit down. Tea? I have saffron cream." Both girls politely declined. "Miss Upland, it seems your Ama has had a relapse of the affliction you warned me off this morning. My Grommetik found her wandering the corridor's tonight. We've taken her to the sick-bay."

"Oh sweet Lurline!" Galinda gasped. "Can I see her please, Madame?"

"Of course dear, just a moment. Her being…indisposed, leaves you two in need of a guardian. This is where you come in Miss Thropp. As I understand it, you have a younger sister who is assisted by a Nanny? It is my intention to write your father to have her and Nanny, come to Shiz. Your sister would start school next year, but might get ahead in some classes between now and then. Your Nanny could take over the role of Ama Clutch. Would this be agreeable to you?

"My opinion is hardly what you'd call relevant, it is a plan of action and one that my father will decide over, not me." It was a snap, like the sound of a bone breaking. Hostility, a warning that her lies would not last forever. She dismissed herself and her friend, taking power and they left the room. All backs ramrod straight, eyes snapping into focus, backs snapping into a line.

Once in the room with the now demented Ama Clutch, the green girl took control. She grasped the wrinkled hand, snapping the woman into focus.

"Who? Who was it? In the lab, the goat and who else?" Elphaba asked, her tone frantic and fevered. Galinda fretted as she watched, but afraid to interrupt.

"Tick tock, tik tok, tick tock, tik tok." Ama clutch repeated over and over. The green woman discarded her hand and moved hurriedly away, leaving Galinda with her former guardian.

Her feet carried her swiftly down the corridor, outside and finally to the Professor's lab. Attentive brown eyes took in everything. The goat on the floor, bones snapped and contorted. His throat slashed and blood forming a crimson pool beneath him. Hurriedly she flew through the room trying to find the papers. Where were they? She searched for them in their usual spot and many places besides. They were gone. Damn. The vile little tik-tok must have taken them last night, she thought to herself. Morrible must have suspected they were close to a breakthrough, indeed Elphaba knew they had not been far away.

Thinking of the headmistress snapped Elphaba back to reality. Likely the woman would come down and clean up. It would be less than ideal to be caught here, the green girl reasoned, but she didn't want to run into Morrible coming out the front door. Following that logic, she took off out the back door.

When Elphaba returned, Galinda was cracking her knuckles, out of anxiety. If the situation hadn't been so dire, the green girl would have been amused. As it was, she was simply strained, about to snap and concerned about the next few days. She took her friend by the shoulders.

"You cannot tell anyone what has transpired tonight beyond whatever lies Madame Morrible deigns to tell the cohort to explain Dillamond's death. Do you understand me?"

"I know Elphie. I'm not completely stupid." Galinda's voice was several octaves lower than normal, an indication that she did indeed comprehend the seriousness of what was going on. Brown eyes softened and turned away, the emerald body followed, over to the window. As Galinda slid back into her bed, Elphaba watched the Goat's body taken away.

Something snapped inside of her as she stood there watching the death of her favourite teacher. The noise resounded through her mind like a bone breaking. She would not stand for it.

Unsurprisingly the life-students class, which included Fiyero and Boq, aside from the two young women, were told an entirely different story to the reality. They were informed the respected Professor had been in his laboratory when he had a terrible accident. According to the official story, he had tragically fallen on some glass equipment which had cut a vein. Everyone was deeply grieved at the loss, but everyone must look forward to the future and welcome the replacement teacher. So enraged was Elphaba, she didn't even hear his name. The anger only intensified when the professor revealed a lion cub in a cage. Fury snapped and fizzled inside her while she argued with the teacher over whether the cub's capacity for language was more important than its wellbeing and absence from its mother.

Fiyero grabbed for an emerald hand as it went hurtling down to the front of the room. Brown eyes turned back to him and softened for a moment. Desperate anger soon returned and she flung herself between the cub and the new professor.

The room snapped.

So did Elphaba's spin, from what Fiyero could see. She doubled over and he ran to her, before noticing that he could still move. Apparently she noticed too, because her eyes flew wide open. Again she became distracted, grabbed the cage and took off outside. Fiyero ran to keep up with her, determined not to lose her.

Outisde Elphaba put down the cage. She squatted next to it, trying to comfort the terrified cub.

"Why did you follow me?" It took Fiyero a minute to realize she was talking to him.

"I don't know. Why didn't…that," he indicated the direction they'd come from, "affect me."

"I don't know." The young people fell into silence for a moment. Fiyero broke it, picking up the cage.

"We need to get him out of here, or there'll be no point to any of it." Elphaba nodded and the boy made to run off, cage in hand.

"Wait!" Suddenly the grassy hand reached for the earthy one. Bones melded together and the bond snapped tight."

**_A/N: Hopefully that makes up for the delay. Never fear, that is not all of the little Fiyeraba moment. I simply felt it was worth its own chapter. So the next chapter will be short. However I have a few busy days, so it could be a little while. Sorry to leave you hanging… sort of_**


	10. Joints

**_A/N: My sincere thanks to LillyFae and ElphieIsPopular for your reviews. Here is the Fiyeraba scene as promised. Short but romantic, I think, anyway._**

**Bones 10: Joints**

Joints are amazing. They comprise of so many different little pieces that all work in harmony to allow something to function perfectly. On their own these pieces are still beautiful, but without the second part they can't be truly appreciated.

Elphaba had never felt anything like what was transmitted in that moment. Her entire world shrunk down to the very masculine hand her bony fingers had envelope. Fascination settled on her features and wonder coloured her eyes in the most phenomenal way as she looked up at him. Something inexplicable burned through her veins. It felt like water coursing through her body, hot, but safe. The moment wrapped her up and held her, breathless, in its arms.

Fiyero was amazed at the light in those incredible brown eyes that he desperately wanted to fall into. Her slender fingers were smooth and gentle against his hand. Insistence was evident in the tension of her grip, but he didn't mind. Quite the opposite, the feeling was beautiful. In that simple touch, that barest moment, he knew the connection he had with Elphaba was far more potent than anything that could be achieved between himself and the blonde he was supposedly dating.

Enraptured, the Arjiki prince moved his hand to brush a strand of raven hair from the face of his emerald princess. With a movement as fluid as bones in a joint, she too reached up a tentative hand to examine the blue diamonds on his face. There was pure power in her touch, his heart beat faster and his hand firmer on her cheek. She felt his reaction and gasped.

Fiyero was disappointed when she drew away and inwardly rebuked himself for scaring the girl. Cautiously, he took a step toward her, but she simply turned away. Mirroring her action he begins to feel reality set back in.

The green girl harshly berates herself for this near-betrayal of her friend and, for foolishly giving into the belief she could be 'that girl'. Hurriedly she picks up the cage and hands it to him, ensuring there's no further physical contact. Taking the hint, Fiyero runs off.

She watches him go, flexing her fingers, feeling the joints that seem almost stiff now.

**_A/N: Pleased are we, my pretties?_**


	11. Weight Bearing

**_A/N: I'm so sorry everyone! Life decided it was going to blow up like Vesuvius, then uni started and life got even more hectic. I'm really sorry for the delay. I will endeavour to return to regular updates but they will be about once a week relative to my schedule_**

**_My continued and belated gratitude for LillyFae, ElphieIsPopular and Doglover645 for your reviews. Here we go again! Reminder that, following on from Teeth, Nessa has the disability from the musical._**

**Bones 11: Weight-bearing **

"Now, please, try not to stare, she doesn't like it." Elphaba reminded her roommate for perhaps the twelfth time in the last 5 minutes. "She does have legs, and we managed to untangle them when she was little, but they can't bear her weight, and the lack of muscle makes them look a bit strange."

"Elphie, calm down." Galinda turned and placed reassuring hands on the narrow green shoulders. "If I accepted you I'm sure I can accept your sister."

Much to the blonde's relief the green girl cracked something close to a smile, it didn't last long. Her brown eyes widened as if she had recalled something, in a fluster she rushed off back in the direction of their room. Galinda had often been accused of being dramatic and stressing too much, often by her roommate, but Elphie was a catastrophizing commotion. She rolled her pretty blue eyes and tapped a cream-coloured heel. A couple of moments later, the green girl returned, now with a blue jacket over her dress and grey tights on her legs. Only her face and hands were visibly green, Galinda raised an eyebrow.

"My complexion raises alarm, even amongst family." The covered shoulders slumped with the explanation, as if the jacket weighed as much as all the emeralds in the great city. She didn't have much time to consider this for the carriage containing Nessarose and Nanny was about to pull up in front of them.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Elphaba rushed forward and retrieved her sisters wheeled chair which was tied to the back of the carriage. She set it up before going to the open door and lifting her disabled sister down and into the chair. Nanny hobbled down a moment later. Both old and young woman seemed to bear the weight of responsibility for the disabled girl.

Galinda watched on with carefully restrained fascination and mentally sized up the new-comers. Nessarose was beautiful; her skin was nearly ivory and perfectly free from blemish, with the exception of a dusting of freckles across her nose that bore testament to a childhood under the harsh sun. The stunning young girl had auburn hair that hung perfectly straight just below her shoulders and brown eyes, like her sister. Although, the blonde thought, Nessa's eyes had none of the entrancing qualities of her sisters' and Elphaba's hair was far more luxurious. Nanny was an old woman, but the Glikkun suspected she was far more astute than she let on. Indeed, the blonde felt as if Nanny could already detect the lie that had brought her and Nessa to Shiz several months early.

"Nanny, Nessa, I trust your trip was fine? This is my roommate." Elphaba stood behind Nessa's chair, one hand resting protectively on it, though there was no weight in the touch. As if Nessa herself might not be able to take any more without crumbling.

"Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands." The Glikkun aristocrat reverted to formality in the face of the unknown, Elphaba noted. "Madame Morrible extends her sincerest apologies that she could not welcome you to Crage Hall herself; another urgent matter required her attention. Miss Thropp and I will show you to the rooms."

"No need to call her Miss Thropp, we all know her name is Elphaba." Nanny's response was effective in re-establishing her dominance and disregarding the defensive game-playing the Glikkun was engaging in. It should have relieved the blonde of some responsibility instead, her feet fell even heavier as she turned and lead the way into the hall. Elphaba engaged in whispered conversation with her sister. Her voice was so low, Galinda imagined Nessa's chair had rolled all over her green friend and that's what was causing this quiet deference in the normally wilful girl.

The roommates stood close, without touching, watching as Nessa and Nanny cast a critical eye over the room. Galinda's stance was firm, ready to withstand whatever was thrown at her. Elphaba seemed as if such a great weight had been settled on her she might topple at any moment. The green girl herself felt as if she could feel her bones cracking from the pressure. She did not complain, but her expression was pained.

Nanny seemed satisfied with the arrangements. It was Nessa that seemed hesitant. Galinda and Nanny both watched as Elphaba hurried around trying to accommodate Nessa, all the while muttering placations weighed down by pet names. The formality of the situation dictated silence from Galinda, but the blonde could see the weight of Nanny's gaze on Elphaba's back. It seemed neither of them were pleased to see the dynamics of the interaction between the sisters. Finally Nessa demanded a rest, calling Nanny to her and dismissing her sister with a comment suggesting she didn't feel comfortable or safe in Elphaba's hands. The older sister walked slowly away dragging her steps, but refused to go further than the next room where she could still attend Nessa should it be required.

Later that night Elphaba dropped heavily onto her bed and curled into fetal position, something Galinda had not seen her do for weeks. Concerned, the blonde sat down lightly and put her hands on the green girl's back gently kneading the taut muscles.

"Elphie?" She muttered quietly, not sure if the girl was asleep or just bone-weary.

"I'm glad you dropped the formality. I didn't like hearing it."

"Your sister takes a heavy toll on you."

"For one so light, she weighs a lot."

"You don't have to carry her alone anymore." With that Elphaba rolled over with a smile on her face. She wrapped her torso around Galinda's tucked legs so her head faced the pink-clad stomach. Galinda too smiled and folded herself over her friend in an embrace. They fell asleep like that, blissfully unaware that Nanny watched them from the doorway.

**_A/N: Before anyone asks: yes, there is a potential there could be some further Gelphie moments provided they are reasonably canonical, but the main pairing is Fiyeraba. _**

**_I hope this goes partway to making up for the long absence._**


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